Vivacious
by J. Nebula
Summary: AU. Valentine's day had come and passed, and with it went Harry's infatuation for Cho. Ever since, his affections have found a new target: the marvelous Ginny Weasley.


**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. Studios. I make no monetary profit from this story.**

Harry sighed as Cho walked away. Their entire relationship had been a train wreck, from Harry's jealousy over Cedric, to their awkward encounters among friends, to their decidedly unpleasant first kiss, to their disastrous date at Madam Puddifoot's and Cho's jealousy over Hermione. How could they recover from all that? Did Harry even want to?

No, he thought. Cho was a nice girl, but the only things they had in common were Cedric, Dumbledore's Army, and Quidditch. She was never more than a passing fancy to him. Perhaps it was for the best that they'd broken up. Cho would be free to pursue other partners, and Harry, well…

After seeing what a fiasco their pairing would be, Harry's eyes had started to wander to someone else. She was stubborn, vivacious, brilliant on broom, beautiful, clever, witty, and courageous; she was everything he could want in a girl.

However, there were three problems. One, if she said no, his heart would shatter into a million pieces and he'd never be able to look her in the eye again. And what beautiful brown eyes they were, the color of the expensive alcohol his uncle brought out for business deals. Two, she had a boyfriend. Harry would not make her choose between her current boyfriend and him. He couldn't take it if she didn't choose him. Three, if she said yes, his friendship with Ron might end.

Yes, Harry James Potter had done the unthinkable. He fancied his best friend's younger sister. How could he ask her if it meant losing Ron? They had fought, yes, but only once, and Ron came back in the end, even more loyal than before, if that were possible. Harry couldn't lose his first friend his own age.

Shaking himself from his musings, he realized that he had made it to Gryffindor Tower. Muttering the password, he quietly slipped into the common room, giving it a cursory glance until his gaze halted, lingering on the object of his affections.

She sat in front of the hearth, her red hair cascading around her face like the flames in the fireplace caressing the logs, and her eyes held a spark that he had only seen when she was arguing with one of her brothers, or telling him off. She was angry, and it only made her more gorgeous than usual.

A wise man would have left the stewing witch alone to cool down, but no one had ever accused Harry of being particularly wise. Brave definitely, clever occasionally, but never wise. So, he gathered his rather considerable amount of courage and approached her, plopping next to her on the sofa gracelessly.

"What's wrong, Gin?" Harry asked as her head shot up to look at him.

Ginny's face contorted in rage as she snarled, "Michael Corner is a complete and utter tosser!"

Harry's eyebrows rose in surprise. Ginny rarely conveyed that much venom in her tone. "What did he do?"

"The git wouldn't take no for an answer when I told him multiple times not to put his hand up my shirt. I gave him a taste of the Bat-Bogey Hex, and dumped his sorry arse," Ginny growled.

Righteous indignation boiled in Harry's chest on her behalf. "That git!"

"I know! What kind of prat does that?" Ginny ranted.

"The kind that wants to get his arse kicked, that's the kind," Harry answered.

"I don't think he's had enough taste of my retaliation, do you?" Ginny asked rhetorically. "I want to humiliate the bastard. Do you want to help me plan?"

It was no question for Harry. "I'd be honored."

The next morning, Harry and Ginny arrived early to the Great Hall to grab seats in view of the Ravenclaw table. They didn't want to miss the fruits of their prank. They practically inhaled their breakfast so that they wouldn't choke on it when Michael got his dues. After about a half an hour, Harry glanced at the doors and discretely gestured towards them, signaling to Ginny that their target had arrived.

Michael Corner strode into the Great Hall, Cho Chang on his arm, and Harry felt sorry for his ex-girlfriend for being in such proximity to such a prat. As Michael sat down in his usual seat, Harry and Ginny's plan sprang into action.

Within seconds, Michael sprouted bright pink feathers. His housemates promptly started laughing, triggering hysteria among the other tables as well. As Michael opened his mouth, presumably to demand an explanation to the laughter, a feminine melody came out of his mouth. Most muggleborns and halfbloods, and a few of the more progressive purebloods, recognized it as a muggle pop song that had recently been released. Michael, being a traditionalist, had no idea what he was singing, only that it was mortifying.

As every time that he opened his mouth, "Dontcha" spewed from it, Michael kept it closed, and finally ran from the hysterical room to the Hospital Wing.

Harry and Ginny inconspicuously high-fived as they laughed. Operation Corner's Comeuppance was a success.

They snuck out of the Great Hall amidst the laughter as McGonagall berated the twins, who weren't guilty for once, and finally caught their breaths in an alcove.

"That was brilliant, Ginny. Your charms work was wonderful, and I loved the idea of using a girly song," Harry complimented.

"Thanks. You were great, too. Deciding on muggle pop music is not something I would have thought of, but it was a great touch, and you did half the work," Ginny said, looking up at him with laughter still shining in her eyes.

She was even more beautiful jovial than she was angry, and Harry couldn't resist any longer. Brushing her carnelian tresses from her lovely freckled face and caressing her silky soft cheek, he leaned down and slowly, tenderly kissed her.

After what could have been a second or a century, Ginny pulled back and asked, "How long?"

"I've always liked you, but I didn't see it until I got past Cho," Harry admitted.

Ginny smiled. "You always were a bit of a clueless prat, but you're my clueless prat now."

"Does this mean you'll go out with me?" Harry inquired hopefully.

"All you had to do was ask," Ginny answered with a grin.

With those words, Harry was lost in the best possible way.


End file.
